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WILLIAM OF SHREWSBURY
THE HISTORY OF RICHARD, DUKE OF NORMANDY AND KING OF THE ENGLISH Icon of William of Shrewsbury
PREFACE
The following Books will endeavour to chronicle the history of the reign of King Richard of England [1], with the addition of whatever in his time, happened elsewhere which from it's fame may demand a more particular notice. This, then is my purpose, if the Divine shall find favour with my undertaking and carry safely me through the rugged diction of sermon and parable. I am indebted to the works of Henry of Rouen and William of Vannes, noble and industrious men who endeavoured to record the deeds of the Normans and their rule of England, dedicated their works to them in order to gain favour. Whatever I have recorded of the times of King Richard, I have either witnessed or heard from credible authority. I seek to present his reign as a matter of historical record, and in this I pay little respect to the judgement of my contemporaries, trusting that I shall gain with posterity, when the tempers of love and hate have cooled if not a reputation for eloquence, at least credit for diligent veracity. [2]
NOTES
[1] Richard, second son of William the Conqueror who died in a hunting accident sometime in 1081. In this timeline he ascends to the throne as the heir of William the Conqueror following the death of Robert Curthose during the war of 1077-1079. As there's very limited information about him, I have some scope to invent an alternative Norman history.
[2] This preface was heavily inspired by the works of William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis, the twelfth century chroniclers of Norman England.